Drink vender structure



De@ 31, 1940' R. A. NlcHoLsoN 2,227,196

DRINK VENDER STRUCTURE Filed DEQ. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l J 5T o Inventor Ra Z P21 #Nidia S012 R. A. NICHOLSON 2,227,196 DRINK VENDER STRUCTURE 2 Filed Dec. 28, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor )g lg RaZphNichoLson,

Patented Dec. 31, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE DRINK VENDER STRUCTURE Ralph A. Nicholson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Raymond T. Moloney, Chicago, Ill.

Application December 2s, 193s, serial No. 248,113

4 Claims.

These machines-comprise a cabinet contain-v ing one or more magazines of paper cups which cups are released one at a time for each operation of the machine to dispense a cup to a drink receiving position. In this latter position the drink filled cup should be made readily accessible to the operator of the machine so it is desirable to provide an improved display type door closure for such position, which door is readily opened to gain access to the illled cup. Also it is desirable to provide means to prevent a cup while being lled from accidentally being tipped. It

is also desirable to provide means to make the cup.

magazines readily accessible for reloading and generally to improve the cabinet and door construction of machines of this type. l Y

The main object of the invention is to provide an improved drink vending machine.

Another object is to provide an improved cabinet construction for such a machine.

Another important object is to provide an improved displaydoor construction for gaining access to a drink filled cup held in a vended position.

Still another object ls to provide such a door including means to prevent accidental tipping of a drink filled cup in a vended position, such means preferably being associated with the door.

It is also an object to provide such a drink access door in sliding form and to provide an improved shock absorbing means therefor when the same is dropped to closed position.

Another object is to carry such display and Vdrink access door on a front panel for the machine, which front panel itself is in turn slidably carried for removal when the top or a top portion of the cabinet is removed to make reloading vof the cup magazines easy.

Still anotherv object is to provide a lock means between the removable top portion and the iront slidable panel of the machine cabinet.

other important objects no doubt will become' apparent to those skilled in this art as the disclosure is more fully made.

Briey, such desirable objects may be achieved by the illustrative, but practicable, example of the invention herein shown, wherein there is generally provided a housing or cabinet containing the'drink vending machine mechanism. This cabinet is closed by a front panel which is slidably removable when a separable top or a top portion for the cabinet is' rst removed. With 5 the front and top portion removed ready access is had to the interior for any desired purpose, such as servicing interior parts and reloading the cup magazines. This front panel also slidably carries a glass display door which norw.

mally is in a down, closed position. Behind this latter door is a support onto which isset a cup to be filled with the vended drink. When thev cup ls being filled it is supported against accidental tipping by means carried by said display 15 door This display door is raisable by the operator to expose and make accessible the vended drink. When the said door is released it slides by gravity to its closed position and shock absorbing means is associated therewith to prevent 20 too much noise or jarring of the parts. So much will sufce in presenting a general-view of the improved construction.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings:

Figure l is a generalfront elevational view of 25 the drink vending machine with certain interior parts indicated in dotted lines.;

Figure 2 is a reduced scale, vertical cross sectional view through the top of the cabinet, the 30 view being a side view;

Figure 3 is a detail view, in section, to show a lock means, viewed from the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross sectional view through the vender taken along the line 4-4 of 35 Figure l, looking in the indicated direction;

Figure 5 is a vertical, side, cross sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure l, looking in the indicated direction, and -showing the display door in its normal or lowered position; and, 40

Figure 6 is the same sectional view, but showing the display door in its raised position.

The drink vender construction comprises a cabinet III having opposite side walls Il, which are turned in at the front to form front wall 45 portions I2 spaced apart as shown to provide a large front opening I3, the sides of which are delineated by groove forming, vertical guide members I4. The cabinet also includes a back wall I5. The back wall and sides near the top 50 of the cabinet carry a horizontal angle bar frame structure I6. This bar structure I6 at each side near the front carries cleats I1 only one being shown, and the inturned front edge I8 of a top I9 is slid under the cleats removably to lock the y 'when the latter' has been removed, these magasaid top to the bar I6 'I'he back edge of said top I9 carries a cylinder lock 20 operable by -a suitable key, not shown, to turn a hook latch element 2I to cause it normally tov be locked under a flange of a portion of the bar I6 as seen in Figures 2 and 3. The bar I6 has 'an opening 22 formed therein for that purpose. As-an alternative to removing the entire top, just a portion thereof as Wide as a front panel portion, later to be described, may be made removable.

Inside the cabinet is a refrigerator part 23 having a front wall 24. This structure forms an L-shaped compartment 25 one leg of which carries a waste receiver 26 standing on the floor of the cabinet adjacent one side and behind an opening 21 formed in the front I2 to' make the receiver 26 available for use.

The front part of the compartment 25 at its lower portion carries a grated horizontal support 28 onto which may be vended a paper cup 29 in a standing position, as will later appear. 'I'his grate 28 is disposed between parallel,l opposite side wall members 30 which extend down as shown in Figure 1 and are'cross connected below the grate by an inclined s olid bottom 3| to directfoverow liquid through Va spout 32 and thence to the receiver 26.

The side portions 30 at their upper edges'sup-` port opposed converging trough portions 33 having' a back portion 34 connected by suitable brackets 35 to the partition 24. The front edges of the trough portions 33 -are turned up as shown at 36 to -act properly to guide a vended cup to position on the grate.

-Above the, high end of each trough portion 33 is suitably supported respective, vertically dis- Iposed, cup containing magazines 31 the upper ends of which are beneath the top I9 so that zines are readily made'accessible for reloading with paper cups 29. The lower end of each magazine carries any suitable form of cup discharge member such as the plungers 38 shown 5 operable alternately by a rotating cam 39 turned by an electricmotor 40 mounted on a suitable shaft 4I carried by the partition 24. -The tlming of the motor operation may in` any suitable way be governed by a notched cam wheel- 42 to open and close a switch 43 carried by a bracket 44 from the partition 24 'in the manner shown. This motor operated cup dispensing mechanism is not a part ofthe present invention and is 'therefore only .generally described. However,

it will be clear that cups 29, when the machine is operated, will be vreleased alternately from the magazines 31. A released cup drops'by gravr ity onto a funnel chute or trough part 33 and is guided thereby to drop .by gravity to a cen# tral, upright position of rest on the grate supbar structure I6. When the top I9 has' .been removed, this panel 45 can be' slid upwardly along the groove guides I4 and out of the cabinet, thereby opening up practically theentire front of the machine for' inspection and servicing of interior parts in the space 25 as will now be readily understood. As has been stated, when it is not desired to remove the entire top I9 a portion thereof about as wide as said panel 45 may be removed, as an alternative construction. y

The front panel 45 has a relatively large rectangular opening 41 of a size lto expose the lower end ofthe chute structure 36 and the grate support 28 as seen in Figure 1.. As shown best in Figure 4, opposite vertical edges of this opening 41 are formed with groove guides 48 and slidably carried in said guides is a door 49, a portion of 'which `includes a glass display window 50. 'I'he bottom of this display door rests on the grate 28 as shown in Figure 5. 'Ihe door at its lower edge carries a handle 5I accessible from the exterior of the cabinet.

Welded or otherwise secured to the back side of the door 49 at its lower edge is abracket 52 to which in turn is securely fastened a cylinder 53 the'axis of which is normal to the grate 28 which the same overlies when the door 49 is in its lowered position (see Figure 5). A cup 29 discharged from a magazine 31 slides down a trough or chute part- 33 under the spout 45 and fallsl vertically down into said cylinder guide 53 to come to a positionof rest on the grate 28.

While the display door 49 is down it is therefore impossible for the cup 29 to be tipped.

The upper back side of the display door 49 -has secured to it a centrally disposed, upstanda ing arm 54 having its upper end bent back to form a shoulder 55.1 In about a position where this shoulder lies when the door 49 is down in closed position,I the partition 24 rigidly carries a bracket 56 to which is secured a dash pot 51 having a vertically movable piston 58. Said piston carries a cross piece 59 on which is mounted a`l rubber pad 60 in a-position to be hit by theshoulder 55 when the door 49 is released to drop by gravity to its closed position. 'Ilhe bracket 56 also carries an upstanding arm 6I and connected between the upper end of said arm and the piece 59 is a pull spring 62. The spring 62 acts to pull the piston 58 upwardly when the door 49 is raised and the shoulder 55 is free of the bumper pad 60. the detailed description of the various parts.

In normal use the cabinet is of course closed at its top and front, the parts being then dis- This completes posed as shown in Figures 1 and 5. When the machine is operated, a cup 29 is released, from a magazine 31, the same 4being guided, by theA chute structure 33, 36 to a standing position on the support 28 inside the cylinder guide 53 since the display-door 49 is in its closed position. 'The drink is then dispensed from the spout 45 into the cup in full view of the operator because of the glass panel 50. When the vending operation is complete the operator may raise the door 49 by means of the handle 5I. Since the cylinder 53 is loose around the cup 29 it moves upwardly with the door 49 to leave the drink lled cup standing clear on the support 28 where the op.

erator may reach in with his other hand to take the drink. i

As the door 49 is raised, the shoulder 55 moves off the cushion pad 60 thus enabling the spring 62 to pull the piston 58 upwardly out of t'he air cylinder or -dash pot 51 from the position of Figure 5 to that shown in Figure 6. When the operator now releases the door 49 it falls to closing position by gravity and the parts 55,60 and 58 cooperate in an obvious manner to cushion the shock and ease the door gently CTI toits fully closed position. In this latter position the inside of the machine is kept closed off from the outside to exclude dirt, etc.

The top I9, or a portion thereof, is removable in the manner heretofore described to enable ready access to the upper ends of the cup magazines 31 when they must be reloaded. Also when the top part has been removed the entire front panel 45 can be removed by sliding same upwardly to open up the front of the machine to gain access to interior parts.

From this disclosure it must now be appreciated that an improved drink vending machine construction has been provided which achieves the desirable objects of the invention heretofore recited.

It is the intention to cover all changes and modiiications of the example illustrated for the sake of the disclosure which do not in material respects constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention as covered in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An upright cabinet having a wall provided with an opening and an interior support adjacent said opening for positioning an article, a slidable gravity closed door'normally closing said opening and openable to make the article accessible, said door carrying an upright arm formed with a shoulder, a dash pot including a. piston and supported in a position to cooperate with the shoulder to absorb shock when the door closes, and means to pull the piston out of the dash pot when the door is in its raised position.

2. A drink verder comprising a cabinet havingl a front panel, a horizontal support located behind the panel onto which a cup may be supported in a standing position, a door slidably i positioned on the panel in front. of said support and including a transparent window to make a cup on the support visible from the outside of the cabinet, means on the inside of the door normally acting to hold a cup in stable position on the support when the door is in closed position, and means on the outside of the door graspable by an operator's hand to move the door to open position to free the cup from the holding means and make the cup accessible.

3. An upright cabinet having a wall provided with an opening and an interior support adjacent said opening forpositioning a cup in an upright standing position, a slidable door normally closing said opening -and openable to make the cup accessible, an upright hollow member carried by the door, said member-normally serving substantially to surround and position a cup on the support when the door is closed, said member being movable away from the cup with the door when the latter is opened to leave the cup standing on the support.

4. An upright cabinet having a Wall provided with an opening and an interior support adjacent said opening for positioning a cup in an upright standing position, a slidable door normally closing said opening and openable to make the cup accessible, an upright cylinder xed to the inside of the door over the support, said cylinder normally serving to surround and position a. cup on the support when the door is closed, said cylinder being movable away from the cup with the door when the latter is opened to leave the cup standing on the support.

RALPH A. NICHOLSON. 

